Security sealing device

ABSTRACT

An improved security sealing device comprises a pair of hingedly connected metal jaws of which one has a tongue insertable through a slot in the other. The slot has inward facing lips while the tongue has catch tabs which, after insertion of the tongue through the slot, move to positions on opposite sides of the tongue such that by engagement with the lips of the slot they thereafter prevent opening movement of the jaws. By this arrangement it is virtually impossible to manipulate the jaw locking parts without visibly damaging the sealing device.

United States Patent [191 Adamson et al.

1451 Apr. 3, 1973 [54] SECURITY SEALING'DEVICE [75] Inventors: DonaldAdamson, Warlingham; Frank Henry Arthur, Cheisfield, both of England[73] Assignee: Envopak Limited, Sidcup, Kent, En-

- gland [22] Filed: Apr. 26, 1971 [21] Appl. No.: 137,214

[30] Foreign Application Priority Data Apr. 27, 1970 Great Britain..20,145/70 [52] US. Cl ..292/322 [51] Int. Cl ..B65d 33/34, B65d 55/06[58] Field of Search ..292/322, 307, 317, 325; 24/123, 30.5

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,932,101 10/1933 Dietze..292/322 2,662,789 12/1953 Stoffel....

1,783,938 12/1930 Keidel ..292/32'5 1,080,823 12 1913 Freschl......292/325 1,187,896 6/1916 Freschl ..292/325 FOREIGN PATENTS ORAPPLICATIONS 338,640 7 1959 Switzerland ..24/30.5 382,525 2/1908 France..292/325 Primary Examiner-Richard E. Moore Attorney-Wenderoth, Lind &Ponack [57] ABSTRACT An improved security sealing device comprises apair of hingedly connected metal jaws of which one has a tongueinsertable through a slot in the other. The slot has inward facing lipswhile the tongue has catch tabs which, after insertion of the tonguethrough the slot, move to positions on opposite sides of the tongue suchthat by engagement with the lips of. the slot they thereafter preventopening movement of the jaws. By this arrangement it is virtuallyimpossible to manipulate the jaw locking parts without visibly damagingthe sealing device.

2 Claims, 5 Drawing Figures PATENTEDAPR 3 I975 SHEET 1 [JF FIGQI.

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PATENTEDAPR 3 I975 SHEET 2 OF 2 FIG.4.

INVENTOR RNAL' Alwmssm E1 AL BY nulmfl u) ,kil 1M AT TO R NE YS SECURITYSEALING DEVICE This invention is an improved security sealing devicewhich is intended to be applied manually to a tie cord or other packagebinding means as a deterrent to unauthorized interference.

More especially the security sealing device is of a kind comprising apair of hinged jaws which by application of finger pressure can beclosed on to the binding means so as to become locked together.

The underlying intention of these seals is that once the jaws haveclosed they cannot be released from the binding means without manifestdamage or fracture of the device. An ideal sealing device is one whichcannot be accidentally damaged, et yet readily fractures or becomesobviously deformed by unauthorized interference and which maintains atight grip on the binding means such as will prevent the latter frombeing pulled through the jaws.

In certain known forms of security sealing device of the kind referredto, these criteria are not fulFilled. For instance it is sometimespossible by insertion of a thin tool to cause retraction ordisengagement of its locking parts to enable the device to be removed orloosened, it furthermore being possible to restore the locking parts totheir original positions without fracture or damage. Unauthorizedinterference with the sealing device, the binding means or the packageitself may thus fail to be detected.

The intention of the present invention is to provide an improvedsecurity sealing device in which it is virtually impossible tomanipulate the jaw locking parts without visibly damaging the sealingdevice.

In accordance with the present invention a security sealing devicecomprises a pair of metal jaws hinged together at one end, one of thejaws having a tongue which is insertable through a slot formed in theother jaw, and is characterized in that the slot is provided with inwardfacing lips whilst the tongue has catch tabs which after insertion. ofthe tongue through the slot move to positions on opposite sides of thetongue such that by engagement with the lips of the slot they thereafterprevent opening movement of the jaws.

Preferably the movement of the catch tabs'to their operative positionsis induced by bending of the tabs which occurs when the tip of thetongue presses against the inside surface of the opposing jaw.

Preferably also there are three catch tabs cut away from the tongue andsituated one at the tip and the other two at the respective sides of thetongue.

One particular and at present preferred form of security sealing devicein accordance with the present invention is hereinafter described by wayof example with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a plan view showing the sealing device in a fully openposition;

FIG. 2 is a side elevation of the sealing device in its fully closedposition;

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary sectional elevation similar to FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a plan view of the sealing device in a fully closed positionwherein it is sealing a wire or cord; whilst FIG. 5 is a perspectiveview ofa modified form of the sealing device shown in FIGS. 1 to 4.

Referring now to the drawings, it can be seen that the sealing devicecomprises a pair of flat thin metal jaws l, 2 one slightly smaller thanthe other, foldably connected at one end, each jaw having a skirtingflange 3 along its side and front edges. Adjacent the fold, or hinge,the skirting flanges 3 are cut away to provide openings for admitting atie cord 4 (FIG. 4) or other binding means to pass through the jaws l, 2so as to be pinched or seized between them when the jaws l, 2 are closedand become locked to one another as hereinafter described.

At the free end of the smaller jaw 2, a tongue 5 extends substantiallyperpendicularly from it whilst the free end of the other jaw 1 has aprotective housing comprising a flat top piece 6 and depending side lugs7. The top piece 6 is pierced by a laterally extending slot 12 havingopposed lips 8 which project internally of the housing towards theinside facing surface of the jaw.

The tongue 5 on the jaw l is cut so as to define three catch parts ortabs 9, 10. A central one 9 of these tabs is of triangular shape andsituated adjacent the tip of the tonge 5 whilst the other tabs 10 are ofelongated shape and situated at the respective side edges of the tongue5.

The hinge or fold line 13 between the jaws 1 and 2 constitutes a line ofweakness which would be liable to fracture if the closed sealing deviceshould be tampered with.

The security sealing device is also provided with some means by whichthe tie cord 4 or other binding means may be positively anchored orattached to it. This means could have the form of an apertured tab 11 asshown in FIGS. 3 and 4 which projects laterally inwards from theskirting flange 3 of the smaller jaw 2 and to which the cord or otherbinding means would be knotted or otherwise attached.

Alternatively the device might be formed as shown in FIG. 5 withappropriately sized and shaped holes 14 in the vicinity of the hinge orfold line 13 for the same purpose. There would then be no need to cutaway the skirting flanges 3 in the vicinity of the hinge.

The security sealing device is operated by closing the jaws l, 2 towardsone another using finger pressure so as to seize the tie cord 4 or otherbinding means therebetween. When the jaws are closed on to one anotherthe tongue 5 on the jaw 2 enters the slot in the housing of the otherjaw 1. When the tip of the tongue 5 engages the inside surface of theother jaw l, the tongue is deformed into a curved shape and thisdeformation results in a splaying out of the catch tabs 9, 10. Thus thecentral catch tab 9 splays out beneath the foremost lip 8 of the slot inthe lower jaw, whilst the two side catch tabs 10 splay out behind therearmost lip 8 of that slot.

Since the skirt flanges 3 of the jaw l closely overlap the skirt flangesof the jaw 2 and due to the existence of the protective housing, it isvirtually impossible by use of any instrument to gain access to thecatch tabs 9, 10 for the purpose of restoring them to their'undeformedpositions such as would enable the jaws 1, 2m be even partly reopened.Any attempt to reopen the jaws in any other way inevitably must resultin fracture at the fold line or damage to the sides of the jaws or thecatch tabs,

all of such damage being then readily apparent.

As an additional aid to security, authorized users of security sealingdevices as above described would be provided with an embossing or othertool for forming or marking a monogram or other characteristicdesignation on one or other of the jaws.

The provision of three catch tabs, of which one is deformed inanopposite direction to the direction of deformation of the two others,which deformation occurs when the jaws are closed together is animportant feature of the sealing device.

The facility of anchoring the binding medium is also important becauseit defeats attempts to extract the binding means and subsequentlyreinsert it after partial springing open or deformation of the jaws.With conventional sealing devices, this manoeuvre needs relativelylittle movement or distortion in the vicinity of the hinge, whereas whenthe binding means is anchored, the two jaws need to be opened right outeven if opening without fracture at the hinge line was possible.

This is particularly significant when the binding means is wire.

When the sealingdevice includes anchoring means it is particularlysuited to the sealing of single strand wire as opposed to multi-strandwire which due to its corrugated surface has hitherto necessarily beenused with sealing devices which rely only upon co-acting means whichgrip the wire.

We claim:

1. A device for the security sealing of a tie cord or other packagebinding means, comprising a single piece of thin sheet material havingside flanges and which is foldabl'e about a fold line to provide a pairof jaws, one of said jaws having at its free end an extension extendingbackward in the direction of said fold line, said extension having aslot formed therein with lips directed inwardly of the jaw from eachside edge of the slot, the other of said jaws having at its free end atongue which is insei'table through said slot, said tongue having threecatch tabs cut away in the plane of the tongue and sit'uated one at thetip and the other two at the respective side edges of the tongue, thetip of said tongue being engageable with the inside of the jaw havingthe slot when the jaws are closed upon one another so that as a resultof consequential bending of said tongue said catch tabs move topositions on opposite sides of the tongue such that by engagement withthe lips of said slot they thereafter prevent opening movement of thejaws.

2. A security sealing device as claimed in claim 1 and having holestherein for allowing access of binding means to and from the interior ofthe closedjaws.

1. A device for the security sealing of a tie cord or other packagebinding means, comprising a single piece of thin sheet material havingside flanges and which is foldable about a fold line to provide a pairof jaws, one of said jaws having at its free end an extension extendingbackward in the direction of said fold line, said extension having aslot formed therein with lips directed inwardly of the jaw from eachside edge of the slot, the other of said jaws having at its free end atongue which is insertable through said slot, said tongue having threecatch tabs cut away in the plane of the tongue and situated one at thetip and the other two at the respective side edges of the tongue, thetip of said tongue being engageable with the inside of the jaw havingthe slot when the jaws are closed upon one another so that as a resultof consequential bending of said tongue said catch tabs move topositions on opposite sides of the tongue such that by engagement withthe lips of said slot they thereafter prevent opening movement of thejaws.
 2. A security sealing device as claimed in claim 1 and havingholes therein for allowing access of binding means to and from theinterior of the closed jaws.